


Wutai Spy

by Jetta058



Series: FF7 Plot Bunnies [2]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Angst with an Ok Ending, Betrayal, Cloud's a Spy, Gen, Modeoheim goes a little differently, but not a very good one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-05-27 17:24:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6293254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jetta058/pseuds/Jetta058
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another plot bunny has struck!</p><p>Cloud betrays Zack and Tseng at Modeoheim, allowing for Wutai spies to capture Hollander for their own projects. He's screwed, but not as screwed as he might think.</p><p>Because I wasn't sure how to tag it, Cloud is haunted by a kid nearly dying in the streets under the plate with drug use (by an OC character) mentioned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wutai Spy

Cloud groaned as he regained consciousness, his head pounding and vision swimming a little. Zack hit  _ hard.  _ He puffed air out of his swollen nose, unsurprised when a glob of half-congealed blood slipped loose. Finally, he picked up his head and looked around with bleary eyes, focusing on Zack a moment later. He was mildly surprised to see former Commander Hewley standing next to him. 

 

“Guess we’re back at Shinra?” He hazarded. Zack gave him a sad look, lips pressed to a thin line. The blond didn’t look away, though a faint corner of his mind ached to see that look there. 

 

“I thought we were friends.” Zack finally said, his tone wounded. Angeal put a large hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

 

Angeal gave Cloud a disgusted look and tugged his former student out of the room.

 

He was left alone then, to think. After he’d left Nibelheim but before he convinced Shinra to let him in, he’d been approached. The Wutaian spy taught him about the Planet, the damage done by the reactors, the known experiments by Hojo and Hollander on both humans and monsters alike, but hadn’t shaken his resolve to join. He’d left home with such a fuss; if he became a terrorist, then what of his mother? 

 

After he joined, he saw the signs. Troopers would disappear, only for some horrible monster with a similar face to appear later. The unrelenting smog over Midgar made some of his bunkmates sick and he found himself with allergies until he adjusted. Then, the one time he went to the slums for patrol and found children with asthma from the smog and addiction to mako twitching in seizures on the street. That was more than enough for him. He contacted the spy and began feeding what information he could get.

 

He’d been lucky enough to go after Hollander with Zack, give their location first, and so now the man was in Wutai and AVALANCHE’s hands. Angeal tagging along had been a surprise, though. He eyed the two as they came back in. Zack’s eyes were ringed red and Angeal looked furious, but the younger was the one to speak, “Alright Spike, you’re getting one chance with this. Are there other spies in Shinra’s ranks?” 

 

Cloud stared at the two, expressionless as his look bounced between the two. After a long silence, Cloud found his sight exploding suddenly and an aching pain racing up his back as Angeal pinned him, cuffed hands crushed behind his back, against the interrogation room’s wall. “I don’t think you understand; you won’t be turned over to the Turks. You’ll be made an example of.” Fear raced through his mind, turning him burning hot to run but also dead cold to know he couldn’t now.

 

His mouth worked, trying to speak but unable to draw enough breath to do more than wheeze. He squirmed for some kind of purchase to take the pressure off of his windpipe.

 

“Angeal.” Zack interrupted, “Let.. let me try something a little easier.” He still looked so sad. 

 

They let him gasp and cough, hunched over in the seat as he got himself back together. A tingle settled over him and he could breathe through both his nose and his crushed windpipe suddenly. Zack looked sheepish as Angeal glared at him with little heat. 

 

“Spike, why did you give away our position?” The head tilt from the exhausted soldier finally put a crack in him. 

 

He looked at Zack, then down and away. “In the..” He licked his lips, trying to word it right, “In the slums, while I was on patrol early on, there was a kid having a seizure because he was suffering from withdrawals of mako addiction.” The words faded out before they picked up again, “...maybe 12 years old, was using, but also about dead when we found him because his inhaler was out of date and not working.” Clouds brows drew together in pain, “He only had asthma because of the pollution! His parents didn’t even have enough money to get out, or an inhaler, or anything!” He caught himself glaring at Zack and jerked his eyes away, “Back home, the monsters got worse after the reactor went in, food didn’t grow as well. Do the math.” 

 

Finally, he fell silent, curled in on himself a little, not noticing the silence of the two SOLDIERs for how loud his mind raced. He’d at least left out pertinent details. 

 

“When did they recruit you?” Zack asked finally, voice soft after the outburst, before Cloud could give them the silent treatment, “Remember, you’ll be executed if you can’t prove some worth to Shinra.”

 

He still didn’t look at them, but closed his eyes and breathed out through his nose, “..I went to them. After that kid… I’d… heard.. The rumors about Shinra before, but I didn’t believe them and my dream was more important then. After.. If I really want to save people, I’ll go after the thing causing all of these problems in the first place.” 

 

Cloud missed an exchange of looks between them, Angeal squeezing his former mentee’s shoulder firmly. He only looked up after the prolonged silence to see Zack shaking his head a little and the ending of their silent communication. He narrowed his eyes at them, “If you notice, they didn’t hurt Zack in their attack though. Even Tseng should be no worse than before Genesis attacking him. I only told them where Hollander was.” Thankfully, none of them had been hurt, though he did see the murderous gleam in their eyes when they realized Cloud hadn’t said he’d be with Zack. 

 

“Can you tell us if there are any other spies in the ranks?” Angeal’s question wasn’t so harsh this time. Cloud tensed, knowing now that he would die either way and shook his head. 

 

“Probably, I don’t know.” And he didn’t. He could start a witch hunt and get other troopers killed to save his skin or tell the truth. He only saw the others as pawns though, not knowing of Shinra’s game. He didn’t know much about the operations of the spies; they hadn’t let him in anyway. It seemed like there were, from their meetings, but he couldn’t name anyone anyway. 

 

“Unfortunate.” Angeal murmured, looking over the defeated trooper. He knocked on the door behind him and he was escorted to his cell to await his execution. Zack was still heartbroken, wanting to help but unable to. He ran a hand through the kid’s hair and ruffled it gently. “I’m sorry Zack. I have to go before someone tries to collect me too.” 

 

Zack nodded, watching his former mentor disappear with a shattering heart. 

 

\--------

 

Cloud awoke to klaxons and strobing red lights. They’d at least uncuffed his hands for while he’s in the cell. He sat up and looked out through the bars as guards pounded past with Shinra security creatures.  _ Huh..  _

 

He stood and leaned into the bars as much as he could, trying to see in the darkness. The power was out in the hall so all he could see were red-highlighted outlines of people. He squinted a little, willing his eyes to adjust a little faster as a hand shot out of the darkness and ripped the door off its hinges. 

 

Cloud yelped and backed up from the hulking figure, only a moment later realizing who it was that was now putting a massive hole in the wall of his cell. 

 

Angeal was in his space before he knew it, an arm around the trooper and ignoring the yelped cursing as he jumped out of the building and flew off into the smoggy night.


End file.
